1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary electric machine that is used in an automotive motor, for example, and to a method for manufacturing a stator coil connecting unit therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional centralized distribution members for motors include: a plurality of approximately annular busbars that have: terminal portions that are connected to a battery; and tabs that are connected to windings of a stator, and that are disposed so as to correspond to respective phases of a motor; an electrically insulating holder that has holding grooves that hold the approximately annular busbars, which are disposed so as to be laminated radially on the centralized distribution member, so as to be separated from each other by a predetermined spacing; a resin electrically insulating layer that is formed by insert molding, and that covers the respective busbars and the insulating holder, the terminal portions extending radially outward from the respective approximately annular busbars, and the tabs extending radially inward from the respective approximately annular busbars (see Patent Literature 1, for example).
Methods for manufacturing this conventional centralized distribution member for a motor have included a first bending step in which the terminal portions are bent outside the insulating holder; a second bending step in which the busbars are bent in thickness directions thereof so as to be made approximately annular; a step in which the approximately annular busbars are inserted into the plurality of holding grooves sequentially from those that are positioned on an outer circumferential side of the insulating holder; a third bending step in which the tabs are pointed inside the insulating holder after insertion of the respective busbars is completed; and a step in which insert molding is performed after completion of the respective bending steps.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-134759 (Gazette)
Because conventional centralized distribution members for motors have configurations in which the terminal portions and the tabs extend outward from each of the approximately annular busbars in radially opposite directions, if the terminal portions and the tabs are both bent in steps before the approximately annular busbars are inserted into the holding grooves of the insulating holder, as the busbars are inserted into the holding grooves of the insulating holder, they interfere with the busbars that are already inserted into the holding grooves, and cannot be inserted into the holding grooves.
Thus, in conventional methods for manufacturing centralized distribution members for motors, only the terminal portions are bent in a step before the approximately annular busbars are inserted into the holding grooves of the insulating holder, and the tabs are bent in a reverse direction to the terminal portions after completion of insertion of the plurality of busbars into the plurality of holding grooves. However, one problem has been that bending of the tabs in a state in which the plurality of busbars are inserted into the respective holding grooves of the insulating holder is complicated bending, reducing ease of assembly of the centralized distribution member, and giving rise to cost increases.